Ceramics and glass business news of the week

Amedica Corp. will collaborate with Kyocera Industrial Ceramics Corp. to manufacture medical devices from Amedica’s silicon nitride biomaterial at Kyocera’s Vancouver, Wash., facility. The deal includes production of Amedica’s FDA-approved Si3N4 spinal interbody devices. Silicon nitride biomaterials promote bone growth and have anti-infection properties, according to Amedica. Devices made from the material are semi-radiolucent with clearly visible boundaries, enabling an exact view of intraoperative placement and postoperative fusion assessment via common imaging modalities. The company says says it has already sold more than 14,000 spinal interbody devices worldwide, and it is seeking to ensure a consistent supply of the devices as demand grows.

New manufacturing capabilities enable production of large piezoelectric ceramic blocks for defense and commercial sonar applications, according to Morgan Advanced Ceramics. The company says it can press, fire, and machine blocks and other shapes up to 45 mm thick, components considerably larger than those it could previously manufacture. According to Morgan, the larger blocks offer lower thickness frequency output than their smaller counterparts, resulting in enhanced sonar imagery and range at lower depths. Typically supplied with fired-on silver electrodes to ensure good adhesion and durability, the components can also be manufactured with evaporated nickel electrodes.

(Area Development Online) Nanova Biomaterials Inc., a startup company in Columbia, Mo., plans a $1.5 million expansion of its production center and creation of 50 jobs in the next five years. The company uses nanotechnology to manufacture orthopedic and dental products, such as dental filling materials and bone screws. Its parent company, Nanova Inc., was founded in 2007, and Nanova Biomaterials was launched in 2013 to focus on nanotechnology research.

Advanced Ceramics to 2017 is the title of a new market research report that forecasts US demand for advanced ceramic materials will increase more than five percent annually to $13.5 billion in 2017. The study forecasts market size for 2022, and presents historical demand data for 2002, 2007, and 2012 for various materials and material types, processes, and applications. According to the report, demand for advanced ceramics in the US will be driven by above-average growth in the machinery, transportation, and medical markets, as well as accelerating growth in electrical and electronic components applications. The report also profiles 36 US ceramics industry suppliers.

(Ventures Africa)West African Ceramics Ltd. will invest more than $50 million to build a state-of-the-art ceramic tile factory in Ogun state, western Nigeria. According to a report, the new facility will meet rising demand for European standard quality tiles in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan West Africa. The company says its current factory in Nigeria’s Kogi state is operating to capacity, and that availability of large quantities of raw materials in Ogun State makes the area a potential commercial hub.